Table 1.
Summary of human studies using PEA in the presence of neurodegeneration.
| Study | Disease | Sample | um PEA (Alone or In Combination) |
Dosage | Duration | Main Outcomes of PEA Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [47] | MCI | 1 patient | co-um-PEALut | 700/70 mg daily | T3: 3 months treatment T9: 9 months follow-up | T3: mild (though not significant) cognitive improvement; T9: near-normal neuropsychological assessment; improvement in test scores; brain SPECT near-normal. |
| [48] | PD | 30 patients | PEA added to regular levodopa |
600 mg daily | 12 months | Progressive reduction in the total MDS-UPDRS score; reduction in most nonmotor and motor symptoms. |
| [49] | PD | 1 patient | co-um-PEALut added to regular carbidopa/levodopa | 700/70 mg daily | 4 months | Complete resolution of leg and trunk dyskinesia and marked reduction in the onset of camptocormia during the “off” state. |
| [50] | FTD | 17 patients | co-um-PEALut | 700 mg/2 daily | 4 weeks | Improvement in test scores and neurophysiological evaluation; increase in TMS-evoked frontal lobe activity and of high-frequency oscillations in the beta/gamma range. |
| [51] | ALS | 1 patient | PEA | 600 mg/2 daily | ∼40 days | Improvement in clinical picture. |
| [52] | ALS | 28 treated and 36 untreated patients |
PEA + 50 mg riluzole or 50 mg riluzole only |
600 mg/2 daily | 6 months | Lower decrease in forced vital capacity over time as compared with untreated ALS patients. |
| [53] | MS | 24 patients 17 healthy controls |
eCBs levels in blood | _ | _ | eCB system is altered in MS. |
| [54] | MS | 1 patient | PEA | 600 mg/2 daily | ∼9 months | Pain reduction; increased interval between acupuncture sessions. |
| [55] | MS | 29 patients | PEA added to IFN-β1a or placebo |
600 mg daily | 12 months | Improvement in pain sensation, no reduction of erythema at the injection site, improved evaluation of quality of life, increase in PEA, AEA and OEA plasma levels, reduction of interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-17 serum profile. |
| [56] | Myasthenia gravis | 22 patients | PEA | 600 mg/2 daily | 1 week | Reduced level of disability and decremental muscle response. |
AEA-Anandamide; ALS-Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; co-um-PEALut-combined ultra-micronized PEA/Lutein; eCB-endocannabinoid; FTD-Frontotemporal Dementia; IFN-β1-Interferon-beta-1; MCI-Mild Cognitive Impairment; MDS-UPDRS-Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale; MS-Multiple Sclerosis; OEA-Oleoylethanolamide; PD-Parkinson Disease; um-ultra-micronized.